The concept of relative deprivation has been regarded almost as a social psychological truism, with the result that in itself it has received little critical empirical examination. Although heavily used to explain as diverse phenomena as protest militancy and college aspirations, the nature of its use is most frequently as an unmeasured variable or in ex post facto interpretations. The objective of this study is to examine in a single body of data several different operationalizations of relative deprivation -- intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and intergroup -- and to assess the relationship of each to ideological militancy, organizational satisfaction, and aspiration level attitudes. The analysis is based on 1973 questionnaire and records data from 1,938 Louisville high school seniors, their three friends' questionnaire and records data, and a 25% sample of their mothers. The inquiry will conclude with an evaluation of the relative merits of these different operationalizations, resulting in an improved theoretical understanding of the concept.